Blown in from the Storm
by Hopelessromantic721
Summary: A girl moves into town, but her life isn't all sunflowers and pretty days! Lavender comes to an animal village, only to find a musician? Totakeke could probably help this lost thing! KKSliderxOC
1. Chapter 1

Just a crazy little story. This is your basic Main char girl falling for a char in the game kinda fic. Will have eventual TotakekexOC stuff, but this is for all of you out there who ever dreamt of loving that dog. Well, this will be that story. Story of a girl who blows into town and finds herself and true love!

* * *

This is your typical average story about a typical average girl joining your typical average town to start her own life just like any other average Joe would do.

However, this is not going to be your typical story.

The day was late on a Saturday afternoon on a rainy day in the middle of January. But not the kind you would expect. It started out small enough, a few drops from the skies, but it grew faster than anyone expected! Now it was a furious storm with lightning and pouring rain falling from the heavens!

The roads were muddy and dangerous, and bumped and sunk on the thin road running along the mountain range. The small taxi looked like it could have been brushed off the road in one sweep of the wind or a shove from a mudslide!

Two eyes darted back and forth inside, clutching a purse and staring at the pounding rain thundering on the windows! Lightning roared in the dark skies, flashing between clouds like dragons.

"This be your first time out on your own Miss?" the driver asked. He seemed to be controlling the car just fine, but noticed the female paling face. When no answer came, he asked again, "Miss?"

"Eh?" the girl said startled, moving her eyes away from the window at last. "U-Um, yes!" she said, her pigtails bouncing at her nodding head.

"Ah, shame the night had to be so rough. Would have been nice if it was sunny and a bid cloudy." he said. "So what be your name, Miss?"

The girl again tore her frightened violet eyes away from the storm to the driver. "L-Lavender." she said shyly.

***

"You take care Miss Lavender!" Kappi yelled over the storm. "Just go to town hall and Nook's tavern! They'll take care of ya!" With that, he drove off, disappearing not 20 feet before being engulfed by the mist.

Lavender shivered and held her small luggage bag, glancing back into the town she had entered. She was sure she was in, "Sunny Brook" village, but this looks anything but. She stared at the tall trees that surrounded a stone pathway. It looked more like the gaping mouth of a monster, waiting for her to enter and to gobble her up.

Perhaps she could just stand there until the storm passes. Under the safety of the street lamp and its home base light. She hugged her bag thinking of the long night being in the rain. A lightning thundered above, startling the girl to jump high from the ground. She whimpered a bit, feeling the effects of the water seeping through her clothes.

"Why didn't I bring an umbrella-"

Another bolt shot through the sky, this time just over her head! Lavender screamed bloody murder and sprinted forward, throwing her bag in the air and entering the forest in a blind fit of terror!

The girl kept running through the trees, even long after the stone path disappeared under her feet. Mud jumped from the ground at her steps, dirtying her legs and the bottoms of her once clean dress. She could care less and kept on running and only slowing down to catch her breathe, and speeding up again at another bolt of lightning!

She didn't know how far she ran, or in which direction she went. All she knew was she saw a tall white building in the distance and she used every ounce of her energy to reach it!

Lavender grabbed the handle of the large oak door. At first with some difficulty, she swung it open slowly and shut it behind her! Inside, she slid down to her bottom, panting.

"Sanctuary…" she breathed.

Once her breath had returned, she took the chance to look around. She was in a nicely lit main hall with the walls made of marble stone. The main hall had six entrees ways, each with a sign above of what laid beyond.

Pushing herself to her feet, Lavender brushed her dress of any dirt and rubbed her feet on the mat. Her socks were beyond repair, so she sat down to take off her shoes and her socks and then putting back her shoes.

"Better to walk around in wet shoes than with wet shoes AND socks." she reasoned. With that done, she went off.

She walked through the exhibits, trying to find a friendly face. However she found no one. She went through the dinosaurs, the fish, the bugs and even the paintings, but found no one. Lavender was about to go to the one labeled with a star, when she heard a voice. A singing voice no less! It sounded heavenly to her ears and soul, and she took off to the other entree way, labeled with a teacup.

Walking down, down the stairs, Lavender was beginning to think she should go back up. But that voice was still singing, beckoning her forward! So with what little courage she had, she urged herself down the rest of the steps until she came to a door. It was a fascinating door to say the least, with stain glass running along the edge, shining from the outside in.

Peeking through the glass, she saw figures moving. And one was coming right for her!

"Thanks for the song K.!" a human boy yelled behind him waving. He didn't notice the girl in front of her, nor took notice as he walked by her and up the steps. Lavender was pressing herself to the wall as best she could; blending in with the wallpaper.

Perhaps it was the fact it was so dark in the hallway that the boy didn't notice her, or maybe he was in a big hurry. After all, she could hear the rain pounding outside, even from down here. It was only natural you would want to get home quickly.

Lavender paused hearing the music stopped. Her heart plummeted to her stomach. Was she even allowed in there? Would she get kicked out back in the terrible rain? But she came too far to stop now! She just couldn't stop now!

Gathering her courage, Lavender pushed open the door to the lit room! To her surprise, it was a bar. A nice, homely coffee bar. Behind the counter was a tall pigeon with glasses, cleaning a cup slowly. Lavender moved her eyes over to the rest of the room, finding it empty except for a lone guitar on stage. Was she hearing things when she heard someone singing?

Looking back at the bartender, Lavender shyly moved into a stool and got his attention.

"…Coffee?" he said simply to her. Lavender shyly nodded and he went to getting her drink. As he did, the walls thundered with the storm outside. One extra loud one went off for them to hear it. Lavender winced at the sound, feeling shivers build up in her cold body.

"Here." the oversize pigeon said pushing the cup in front of her. Then glancing at how she shook, he added, "Its best to drink it when its hot so you'll warm up."

Lavender nodded at the man and took the cup. She wasn't all that into this kind of drink, but at the moment, she could have drank boiling oil for all she cared! She just wanted to warm up. Taking a shy sip, she found it surprisingly light. She glanced at the bartender, finding him back to cleaning cups. Then taking a bolder sip, she found it was indeed light on her tongue, and warmed her up. She smiled into the drink, keeping it in her hands to warm them up.

"Hey thanks Brewster for letting me use the bathroom." a second voice went off. Lavender nearly dropped her drink at the surprising voice. She whirled around to the second door of the room behind the bar which she didn't notice before. There a white dog with thick eyebrows walked out, smiling lazily at the bartender. He jumped over the counter in one swift movement of his paw on the table and swinging his legs up in the air, landing back out with a grin. It was then he realized the girl there staring at him. He was not at all fazed by her perplexed stare and grinned wider. "Ah, I had a customer sneak in while I was gone."

Lavender blushed under his smile and went shyly back to her drink, taking big gulps. She yelped when the hot contents burned her throat and tried not to squirm in pain.

"So, groovy chick, want to dig my grooves?"

Lavender turned all shades of red as she turned back to the dog who was back on stage, grabbing his guitar and sitting on a chair. He smiled at her. "They're free."

Lavender wasn't sure how to respond. But with the Labradors dark eyes staring intently into hers, she couldn't say no. She dumbly nodded back and the canine's small grin turned gentle.

"How about you come over here where I can see you then." he said pointing to the table in front of the stage.

Lavender blinked and looked at her cup, still half full. She looked back at the bartender and he nodded at her to go. Smiling in thanks, the girl hopped off and walked over to the table, taking the second chair to face him. Now before him, the musician steadied his guitar and looked down at the girl.

"Now, I don't do this often, but I give out requests to only certain people." At this his smile turned dashing and he winked. "Do you have any requests for me chicky?" he asked.

At this Lavender had to blush. She shook her head and hoped she didn't look like an idiot. But then again, she probably already did.

"Ah I can dig that. I'll surprise you then." he said. Another thunder roar went off, thundering into the depths of the basement. A few items on the shelves quivered, but other than that, everything remained stabled. Lavender stared wide eyed at this and clutched her cup and shutting her eyes tight.

The dog on stage saw this and had a shine in his eye. He then closed his eyes and drummed his paw over the strings. "This is for those of you feeling down and blue over the storm." he said. "This is called, K.K. Lullaby."

Then the canine went off into song, a soft tune starting on the strings of his instrument, and then joining his voice, that grew a few alcoves higher. Lavender sat there in shock at the soft tune playing. It felt so powerful and enchanting that Lavender forgot completely about the storm. His voice never faltered, and his eyes never wavered from hers, and only did to look at his paws playing over the guitar. He started to whistle as well, short and soft blows between his lips.

The musician continued to play, his song overpowering the storm, and bathing the room in song. Lavender felt her muscles from the long night relax. All her troubles seemed to have melted away by every note he played. Soon Lavender felt her eyes drop close, with her empty cup held in her hands.

Then the song ended too soon for her likings, and she opened them again into the reality. But she was not afraid of the storm anymore.

"Hey thanks for listening little lady." he said smiling at Lavender. "You can come over and get this soundtrack if you want. It's great to put in your pad and listen whenever you'd like to." he said.

Smiling a bit, Lavender nodded and hopped off her chair, walking over to the stage. The dog dug into his pocket and pulled out an air track, and handed it to her. "The name's Tokakeke by the way." he said, catching the girl off guard. "But friend's call me K.K. Slider."

Lavender blinked and then smiled brightly. She wouldn't forget that name too soon. Not with his dark eyes staring dreamily into hers.

"And yours?" he asked.

Lavender gasped and turned redder than a tomato. "U-Um, L-Lavender!" she sputtered out.

"Lavender huh?" K.K. Slider said. He drummed over the guitar strings, humming a bit, deep in thought. He then looked up to meet her eyes. "It has a nice tune. Thanks for coming tonight Lavender. I really hope you enjoyed it."

Lavender smiled while flushing slightly, and opened her mouth to say something when the door slammed open! A flustered owl with a bow tie came in, waving his arms wildly in the air. "O-Oh my! I-Its terrible!" he cried out, running around in place once and then turning his head completely around to Brewster. He turned his body around as well and nearly jumped on the bar. "The storm has grown over the hour! Its out of control!" he yelled.

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How's THAT for drama?! Well my animal crossing fic is off with a start! Hope you all are enjoying it!


	2. Chapter 2

I saw how everyone liked my fic and decided to continue it! :D Do enjoy!

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Brewster's eyebrows went up just a bit in surprise. "How bad Blathers?"

"V-Very bad!" the owl cried out. "We must get you out of here! We fear this place might get flooded in!"

Brewster didn't argue and walked around the counter to the frightened bird. "You two too!" the bird yelled at Tokakeke and Lavender. "Get out now!"

Lavender looked to the musician, seeing him place his guitar on his back with a strap tied around his shoulder and chest. He dropped to her level and placed a paw on the small of her back. "Let's get going." he said urging her forward gently. Lavender didn't object and followed the birds out of the café and into the dark stairway. To her surprise, she saw water flow down the steps. It wasn't much to call in an emergency, but she could see why the bird was so worried.

"What we're thinking is keep you all here for the night in the dinosaur wing. We have some blankets and the radio report said it'll be over surely by morning! Oh, I knew listening in the Observatory tower was a grand idea! But did you know that Celeste suggested we stay in the BUG exhibit? I ask you, what kind of…"

Lavender lost track of the conversation of the two birds (with one blathering on while the other stayed silent) and looked at the gathering water flowing past her shoes. Every minute it grew. Suddenly she lost her footing and she slipped, falling on her knees. Her heart jumped to her throat when she felt her body slide back, ready to tumble down those unforgiving sloppy stairs, when two hands grabbed her by the arms quickly. They were warm and firm, keeping her in place.

"You ok?" a hushed voice whispered in her ear. Chills ran down her spine and Lavender was grateful for the poor lighting in the stairway.

"Y-Yes." she stuttered.

"Good. You scared me for a sec there." Tokakeke said pulling her to her feet. When she on her right ankle she winced a bit but kept a sturdy stand on the ground this time. He kept a hand on her shoulder and walked side by side with her the rest of the way up. All the time Lavender thought of the gentleman he was being towards her.

Once they cleared the dangerous steps, they all gathered in the main lobby. Lavender stared wide eyed at all the water puddles on the ground. It was a wonder Blathers was going hysterical over his precious museum!

"Brother! Brother!"

Lavender turned to see a second owl, one much younger and obviously female. In her arms were bundles of blankets she had neatly stacked in her winged arms. "I found the blankets!" she cried out happily.

"Ah, very good Celeste! Now, everyone move to the dinosaur exhibit right away!" the bird yelled and waved over towards the entree way. Brewster nodded silently and walked over to the smaller owl to take the sheets. The little girl smiled in thanks at the big pigeon and said she would go back up to the Observatory to check the weather report.

Lavender was to all but sprint forward, yank a blanket and just sleep away from this awful night until a voice stopped her. "You'll be ok?" Lavender heard the dog ask her. He eyed her ankle with a slightly more serious expression than he usually held. Had she been limping? Was she that obvious?

Lavender pulled a bright smile and nodded at the canine. "I-I'm fine. Really. Well, I will be now." she said shyly, mostly talking about him being by her side now. With him around, she was sure she wouldn't get into any more trouble.

"Ok then. I'll see you around then." the dog said winking at her and turned to the door with a wave.

Lavender's jaw dropped to the floor and her heart jumped to her throat! Her mind seemed to be slowing down as she saw the white furred creature slowly go to the door, adjusting his guitar on his back with ease with an air of composure; like a brave warrior ready to face the beast in final combat. But she knew this was one fight this knight won't win, no matter how strong and courageous he may seem. So it was due to the reality of the situation of his upcoming death shook her awake before the dog had a chance to turn the handle.

"**WAIT!!"** she shrieked, stopping the dog cold.

Her cry startled the other museum workers and they turned back to the duo out on the lobby. Their eyes went wide at K.K. Slider's paw on the door handle and ran over.

"K.K. Slider! Y-You can't be seriously thinking of going back out there can you?!" Blathers shouted in a fright. "The storm had gotten worst! You won't make it!" he added growing hysterical.

The dog looked from each frightened and confused face with a calm expression. "Relax Jives," he said addressing Blathers. "I've been through worst than this. Besides, I can't stay here the night. Too much to do, you know?" he said. "I only come on Saturdays and that was my word man."

When no more objection came up this time the dog gave a smile and a small hand salute with his paw. "Later." He opened the door, and instantly harsh winds blew in! The occupants covered their faces from the wet winds slapping at their faces. With their eyes covered, they never saw the canine close the door and leave.

"BROTHER!" Celeste screamed from behind, running down the stairs towards the ground. "T-The storm! It's a hurricane!" she screamed.

Gasps ran all around the ground the group and they looked at each other in horror! Even Brewster with his expressionless face looked more than a little worried at this point.

"W-We're about to enter the eye now! The worst is about to come!"

True to her words, the room fell silent, as did the storm. No more pelting rain, no more thunder bolts, no more moaning winds. Just silence. Deathly silent. It brought a cold and terrible weight to their lungs that they couldn't breathe.

"Hey, where's K.K. Slider?" Celeste asked looking around the room.

"H-he went out there!" Blathers exclaimed. "O-Oh dear! H-He'll be killed for sure!"

Lavender gasped and covered her mouth in terror.

"He'll drown! Or maybe he'll suffocate from the winds! O-Or worst! He'll be blown away all together!" he continued on a mad mouth. Each word that came out only made Lavender's face grow more pale and her heart to accelerate!

"I'll go get him." Brewster said and abruptly turned to the door. He was stopped however by his beloved companions as they both grabbed his arms. It took the two of them to just slow him down! Meanwhile, Lavender had been staring at the door, deep in thought.

"You're mad! We won't let you go out there either!" Blathers shouted, putting every ounce of strength he had to stop the pigeon.

"Brewster! Please! Don't go out there too!" Celeste said with tears beginning to fall down her face. Brewster paused at the sight of the girl's sadness, momentarily torn between staying to comfort and going to save a friend.

It was the slam of the main doors that caught their attentions. The trio of birds moved their eyes to the half open door, slowly creaking open to reveal a girl running out into the woods!

"MISS!" Blathers screamed and scrambled over. He clumsily slipped on a puddle of water, sliding to the doorway in a gentle slide. Before he even got to the oak pane of the threshold, the girl was gone. Panic surged through his systems and he called out to her desperately. "Miss…" he stopped, his cry dying in his throat, and whirled around frantically. "Who was that?!" he exclaimed.

Brewster bowed his head and rubbed the top of his scalp. "I believed she said she was…Lavender."

* * *

Meanwhile, Tokakeke walked down the dirt road with ease. He felt no winds on his back, but that didn't stop the unease from building in his gut. His instincts told him that things were not over. And no matter how much he tries to shake them off, he could not shake off the feeling that the worst has yet to come.

He kept reasoning with himself that he can't stay however. He has to leave the place tonight! No ands, ifs, or buts about it! He was a wondering musician. He can't just stick with one place. Not even under harsh storms. He has to think of his fans after all who would want to see him elsewhere.

He made that promise, and he's going to stick to it.

_"Wait!"_

"Hmm?" Tokakeke hummed in surprise. He stopped just as he passed the old stone bridge, which was overflowing with rushing water. It splashed over the sides, slapping the stones with enough force to knock it down! The musician searched the muddy grounds for any sign of life, but found none. Was he hearing things? He paused, feeling the winds pick up around him, rustling the soaked leaves at his feet.

Then he heard it again. It time louder, and closer. He strained his eyes for anything he might have missed. His eyes blinked in surprise, seeing someone was indeed running towards him! And not just someone! It was that same chick he met at the Roost!

"Lavender?" he said surprised. As a musician for the people, he always remembered a face and a name, but somehow when he said her name just then, it felt as though she was more than just any ordinary face. He pushed the thought away and narrowed his eyes.

"Don't go!" she screamed at him. Her face was painted terrified, enough to even scare him! But why was she out here anyway?

"You should be at the museum girl!" he yelled taking a step back on the stone bridge and placing his paw on the rock hard rails.

"Listen!" Lavender screamed again, her pigtails flying behind her as she ran. "The storm! It's going to get-"

Before the words even slipped past her mouth, a thunderbolt roared above, startling the girl to make her scream! K.K. Slider almost moved forward to get to her side at her scream but stayed put.

"I can't stay! I told you!" he yelled over the winds. They picked up once more, making his ears fly to one side of his head.

The girl clutched her hands to her chest, shaking. She didn't dare keep her head higher than she needs to, for fear of being struck down. Forcing herself up however, she looked at the image of white ahead of her. She can't let him go on. "Listen to me!" she screamed, tears of frustration falling down her face. Rain started to fall again, much more fierce than before. It melted with her tears and stung her face and exposed arms. "We have to go back! It's a hurricane!"

K.K. Slider squinted his eyes. "What?" he yelled., placing a paw to his ear. The winds now muffled even their words, drowning their conversation in the air.

Lavender narrowed her eyes and stepped forward, only to lose her balance and knock into a tree. She cursed her bad ankle and tried again. "I said! IT'S A HURRIC-"

Then, in a blink of an eye, blinding light filled their worlds! In a split second, a bolt of lightning struck the earth. More precisely, hit the tree! And even more precisely, hit the exact same one Lavender stood under. The girl momentarily saw nothing, felt nothing, and thought nothing; Only the whistling in her ears and the weightless spell casting over her body as she tipped over the side of the brook and fell.

The only thing she could register in her mind was the terrified facial expression on the dog musician's face.

* * *

Oh boy! Now things are getting crazy! What will happen to Lavenmder now?


	3. Chapter 3

I updated at last! Now we can find out how Lavender favors!

* * *

"LAVENDER!" Tokakeke shouted as he saw the girl fall into the water! He didn't spare a moment to lose, and ran around the side and sprinted down alongside the river bank!

Lavender awoke as soon as she hit the water and scrambled to the surface! Only the thrashing river turned her one way and then another, before bringing her back underwater, spinning her body in all directions except the one way she needed to be!

"Lavender!" Tokakeke shouted again. He kept running along with the monstrous waters, searching for any sign for purple hair. "LAVENDER!" he screamed.

His cries were answered as he saw a girl burst from the unsettled surface! She spluttered for air, before falling back under the waves. "No! Keep your head above the water!" he shouted. "Lavender!"

The girl jumped to the surface again, trying to keep steady but knew it was only a matter of time before she would fall under water again. She dared to open her eyes, earlier afraid to see her demise, and saw the dog musician there, running alongside her on shore! Hope and joy filled her heart at the mere sight of him! Seeing him was just like when she heard his song. She forgot all about her appending doom, and smiled at him as best she could.

K.K. Slider grabbed his guitar and held it out to the girl by the handle. "Grab on!" he shouted. while still running.

Lavender quickly took hold on the instrument, stopping at last and feeling the full force of the current! It slapped at her face and knocked into her body, but she did not let go! She hugged the instrument as tightly she could, concentrating to kick her feet forward.

"That's it!" the canine yelled, straining his muscles. He pulled her forward as best he could, but she proved heavier than he thought. That and the storms' rage grew all around them, sending howling gales all throughout the town. It became a fight just to keep upright on your feet!

Things seemed to be going in their favor for a while. Lavender was inching closer and closer to shore, when fate decided to intervene once more! The ground shook under Tokakeke's feet and he glanced to the north, and all blood drained from his face. He yanked at his guitar, ignoring the strings ripping on his precious instrument. "Lavender! Pull harder!" he yelled.

Lavender heard the urgency in his voice and moved her eyes to the North of the river as well. Coming down like a charging train, was a gigantic wave of water! It cascaded down the river bank swallowing anything in its path!

Lavender couldn't even comprehend how afraid she was. She just turned to the canine, watching his desperate features as he pulled with all his might on his end of the guitar. "Tokakeke?" she said softly. The next instant, she was engulfed by the overpowering surf! Whether she was still holding onto the instrument or not was unknown, for the handle snapped right off as soon as the wave hit, sending K.K. Slider back!

"NO! Dammit!" he cursed, tossing aside the broken piece of wood and jumping to his feet. He sprinted for the river, not pausing for a second, and nosedived into the uncontrolled current!

Meanwhile, down the river, an old fisher sat there on the bank. He was a penguin wearing a yellow rain jacket and holding a fishing pole. His face was beaming for he had three good fish in his house already, which was only a few steps away.

"Fishing during a storm! What a great idea I had!" the penguin said, completely oblivious of the storm going rampant around him. But then again, his ancestors lived in harsher weathers than this, so he would bear it.

Then his line sunk under the water! The penguin grinned ear to ear and yanked at him rod. "This feels like a big one!"

Suddenly, out of the surface, came two heads, just up the river. One was gasping for air while the other remained still in his arms. The male grunted and panted, trying to keep both himself and his friend above the torrent! But even with his dog instincts, he could not beat this storm. He looked everywhere frantically for something to grab on. A branch, a stick, anything!

Then he saw the penguin tugging at his line. He looked to be a savior from heaven, no matter how hefty he looked. "Hey!" he shouted. He was coming up fast towards the penguin, and he couldn't hear him over the storm! "HEY!"

The penguin blinked, pausing in his fish catching, and looked around. When his eyes spotted the two creatures floating his way, he gasped in shock. "What are you kids doing swimming at a time like this?!" he exclaimed!

"Cast us a line!" Tokakeke shouted at the old penguin.

The fisher blanched at the dog, his eyes telling him, "Are you KIDDING me?! NOW?!" The penguin looked at his line, still struggling with his catch. He could see the large shadow of a fish underneath! Not a boot or a tire neither!

Tokakeke was about to wonder why his savior had to be this guy when the sound of rushing water met his sharp ears. Without even seeing it, he knew they were nearing the one thing he DIDN'T need; Waterfall.

"**HURRY!"** the canine yelled just as he passed the fisherman.

The Penguin, also known as Hopper, made a frustrating sound, staring longingly at the fish's shadow. Then with an aggravated shout, yanked his line back and aimed for the dog. He threw the red bob just ahead of the dog, landing it perfectly in front of them! The musician quickly grabbed onto it and kept a firm hold on the girl. As he furiously kicked his legs, Hopper did his best to yank on his line.

Wind and rain attacked both these creatures, trying to stop them from succeeding! But nothing could make them give up. The penguin's forehead looked to have a vein ready to pop! And with a sudden burst of energy, the old fisherman jerked his line all the way back, pulling the canine and his friend completely out of the water!

Tokakeke twisted his body so that he fell on his back, holding Lavender in his arms. He slammed into the soft mud and slid for a few feet until coming to a full stop on the hill slope. He blinked open his eyes and glanced at the sky. To his delight, she saw the clouds starting to break up and the rain settling down to a soft drizzle. Once he made sure he wasn't dreaming, he let out a great sigh of relief. "Finally…"

"Hey buddy! You owe me a fish!" Hopper shouted angrily at the canine. He stood up to stomp over to him. "And I don't care if you are the biggest catch of the day!" He stopped abruptly seeing the female unconscious in his arms. "Hey…is she going to be ok?"

K.K. Slider gasped, just remembering Lavender's condition. "Lavender!" he yelled, gently placing the girl on the ground. Hopper helped hold her head and checked her pulse. "She's fine."

"She's not breathing!" K.K. shouted.

"Ok, but other than that. She fine."

K.K. Slider ignored the old bird and looked down at the girl, seeing her sleeping face; the same you see on a dead person. Without hesitating, he took hold of her face and dipped his snout to her mouth.

Hopper gasped and flushed red at the scene before him! He knew it was CPR, but you can't really blame the old man for getting a little surprised at a scene like this!

After what seemed like hours, a chocked cough finally escaped from Lavender as she spat out water. Tokakeke pulled away with a gasp of his own and Hopper came in to help the girl sit up. "You ok girlie?"

"Ow…no." Lavender moaned. "Everything hurts."

"Well, you two did had a fight with the river. I wouldn't be surprised if you broke every bone-"

"Oh! K.K.-Tokake-" Lavender gasped, stopping to choke on left over water. Hopper patted her back gently.

"Easy there girlie! Your boyfriend didn't save you just so you can choke to death."

Lavender turned away from the man, ignoring his pleas for her to rest and looked to the white Labrador. "Are you ok?" she asked.

The old musician smiled at her and nodded. "Yeah, just fine." But Lavender could hear the strain on his voice and saw his body was barely moving. Either he was in extreme pain, was exhausted and doesn't want to move much, or he has an injury somewhere and he's hiding it.

She saw him holding his arm and saw red liquid coloring his fur along it! "You are hurt!" she exclaimed.

Tokakeke winced at being caught but placed a charming smile all the same. "Nah, its nothing. Just a scratch."

Lavender didn't seem to be hearing him, and stared at his wound. "You…saved me. I tried to help you…but I only got you in trouble and nearly got us killed." she whispered. Her eyes became clouded with tears, but not before she exclaimed, "And your guitar!"

At this Tokakeke's smile faded away. He moved his pained eyes to the mud, avoiding her gaze. "Yeah…about that. It…broke." he said. His body language looked like it felt hurt just mentioning the destruction of his beloved instrument.

Lavender's eyes let loose her tears and she bit her lip. "And…" she whimpered, and finally broke down with a cry, "It was all my fault!" Tears fell from her eyes as she cried, slapping her hands over her face in shame. Over and over again she said she was sorry to the dog.

"I'm such an idiot! I broke your precious item, and I almost drowned you! I'm so sorry! I'm so STUPID!" she screamed.

A soft tap on the head alerted the female, and she looked up surprised, seeing Tokakeke smiling gently at her. No trace of hurt or anger was on his face as he looked into her eyes. "I'm not sorry I did that you crazy chick. I would have thrown a dozen guitars to save a friend."

Lavender stared at the dog for a few seconds before dropping her head to her lap. "But…how could you forgive me so easily?"

"I'm not going to forgive anyone tonight. Especially not to someone I risked my life to save." he said with a laugh.

"But-But I need to repay you!" Lavender exclaimed.

"No you-"

"Yes I do!" Lavender screamed and broke down crying again. "I've done so many things wrong…I need to do something right!" she sobbed. "Please…let me repay you. For the guitar…for getting you hurt…for saving me…for being so nice…please…"

Tokakeke stared at the girl long and hard, watching as her long purple hair fell around her shoulders. They long ago fell out of her pigtails and flowed freely down, sticking to her wet body. He let out a single chuckle and reached out to push a strand of hair behind her ear, getting her attention once again. "Aright, I'll let you repay. But only if you stop crying so much. I don't like it when fans of mine are unhappy." he said with a wink.

Lavender stared at the canine for a good long while, at first making him believe she didn't hear him. Then her face scrunched up with emotion and she dipped her head into her hands, weeping all over again. Tokakeke pulled her into his wet body, letting her head rest on his uninjured shoulder. There she cried out her pain, and he just sat there, gently rubbing her back.

Hopper stared at the couple, and gave a huff. "If I wanted to see this smuck, I would have gone inside to watch a soap opera!"


	4. Chapter 4

Yay! New chapter like you all asked for! Do enjoy and keep those comments coming! I'm loving it!

* * *

That night both the musician and the girl met up with a doctor, who immediately rushed over by taxi. He checked both of his patients and found the girl had a fractured ankle and a fractured kneecap with her left arm in need of wrappings. K.K. Slider had a broken arm and many fractured bones. He said the girl would be fine in a few days, and asked for her to rest until then.

K.K. Slider however, was to be sent to the hospital right away for a casting. Many people were shocked and concerned. This meant he won't be able to play his guitar! But when the rumors of his guitar being destroyed by the river reached their ears, that was when they began to get REALLY worried.

Lavender watched as the taxi drove away. Totakeke reassured the girl he will be fine, but that didn't assure her that his heart won't be. Already the townspeople were talking how his music was his life around her. They wondered how he'll live on without it!

With evening nearing in the day, Lavender stared at the dirt, lost in thought and guilt. The Taxi was long gone, yet she couldn't find the energy to move her legs. A hand on her shoulder awoke her from her dream and she turned to see an old raccoon in a blue apron. His eyes seemed kind, but also sad. "I am sorry your first day in our village was so terrible. How about I lead you to your new home?"

Lavender nodded slightly to the old man and followed him with a limp. People around her whispered as she passed by with the raccoon, all sharing hushed words in each other's furry ears. Words like, "reckless girl" and "sabotaged him" rang in the air and Lavender tried not to burst into tears.

"You know you made quite an entrance to this town." The raccoon said, grinning over his shoulder at the girl. "Already everyone knows about you."

The girl blushed and avoided her eyes, unsure how to answer. She looked around the scenery of the trees. A thought then entered her head and she turned to the raccoon. "Where is my home?"

Nook smiled. "One home is already taken in the village, but three more are ready to be taken miss. Is there any particular place you want to stay? By the beach? The riverbank?"

"No!" Violet exclaimed and then slapped her hand over her mouth, turning magenta. "I mean, no." she added quietly.

"I thought you would feel that way." Nook said with a grin. "Which is why I already accommodated your new house up by Town hall." he said, waving his hands down the worn dirt path they were taking. Violet looked up to see a large building in the distance, with a large white board standing on the side. Lavender felt somewhat surprised to see such a nice building in a quaint little village. When she passed the board, it read, "World up for grabs! Take what you can by the horn and live the adventure!"

Lavender blinked at such an odd message until she noticed the Raccoon was way ahead of her. She tried to hurry herself as best she could without tripping over her injuries. As she came closer, she saw a small house, hidden by several trees. Not only that, but it over looked a hill side that showed the whole bottom of the village! A sunset was casting its warm rays over the horizon; through what little could be seen through the cloud coverage. Such an amazing sight to behold and she could not seem to tear her eyes away from the scenery she was blessed to witness.

"Welcome!" the old raccoon started, but stopped seeing the girl was more impressed by the sunset casting a warm glow over the town than anything else. Of course he couldn't blame her. There were many flourishing trees and pretty homes peeking out between the lavish greenery. It was enough to make anyone stop and stare. "You should thank Tom for putting so many trees. Boy sure has a crazy thing for a green thumb." the old furry thing laughed. "Oh, I almost forgot!"

Lavender turned to the old man, blinking. "My name's Tom Nook! I own the shop in town! It's just down the hill if you ever want to come by for a visit!"

Lavender smiled shyly at the kind man. "Thank you." she said softly. At the chirp of the bird, Lavender looked up and gasped seeing a large rainbow hanging in the sky! It shined between the clouds, almost sparkling in the sunlight! Tom Nook also gave a gasp and walked to her side with a large smile.

"Wow! That's a big one! Wonder if the boys can see it..." he said. He glanced over to Lavender, and blinked seeing tears running down her face. "Miss?"

"I wish… wish he could see this." she let out through hiccups. "Oh no…I'm crying again." she sobbed, rubbing her eyes.

Tom Nook only stared at the girl, his expression understanding of the girl's emotions. "You know he can see it. He's not blind to what's in the sky you know."

"But now he's hurt and probably can never play the guitar again!" Lavender cried out, hysterical. "It's all my fault!"

"Never play again?! Totakeke?! HA! That's a laugh!" the old raccoon cried out, laughing heartily to himself and making Lavender stare curiously at him. "No, that boy will never stop. Cut off his arm and he'll still find a way to play." he joked. Seeing as she wasn't cheering up anytime soon, Tom Nook added, "If you're thinking about what the others are spreading rumors about, ignore that. Just tell your side once, ONLY once, and they'll understand. The ones who won't are usually the ones who won't listen." he said, rolling his eyes.

"Thank you…but I'm not worried about that." Lavender said, forcing herself to calm down.

"Hmm? Than what is it?"

"Does he hate me…for breaking his precious item?" she asked, scared to even ask. The silence that followed her question brought more weight than it ever did before to her shoulders and heart. She looked to the raccoon and saw him looking away with a mixed emotion written in his eyes.

"Totakeke…" he started, trying to collect his thoughts. "He's a good lad he is. He risked his life to save yours. It's hard to say someone hates them when they go out of their way to save them." he said with a small grin.

"But I broke-"

"Look, Totakeke is a strong boy. And although that guitar was precious to him, it wouldn't matter to him knowing you could have drowned in there without it. I'm sure he was more than happy to give it up." he said, smiling wider now, confident in his words.

Lavender bowed her head, still not convinced. "You didn't see his eyes…when he saw his guitar broken."

Tom Nook sighed and reached out to pat the girl on the head. "Rest for now lass. You'll need it to get into working."

"Working?"

"Well, yes! You don't think you're getting this home for free, do ya?" he said grinning widely. "Of course, you do get a free radio from me! Complements from my shop!"

"Well, no! But you see…my luggage was blown away-"

"I'm well aware of that missy! That's why I'm offering you a temporary job next week." he said waving her off. "For now I'll lend you money to stay living comfortably, but as of next week, when you feel better, you'll work for me and then you will be on your own, free as a bird!"

Lavender didn't know whether to be happy or sad by the news. Shocked she was of course, which Nook took as of a pleasant surprise. He grinned, eyes crinkling under his smile, and then patted her on the head again. "Rest up…um, Lavender was it?"

The girl nodded.

"Bah, I think I'll call you Missy instead." Nook said, waving her off again while walking away. "Oh, and I'll fix your roof tomorrow alright? See you soon Missy! Hope you don't have a too bad first impression on our humble town!"

Lavender watched him go, floored at meeting such a grand, yet forward and somewhat strange, man. She shook her head, turning to face her home. It was shaggy looking, with the roof sporting many holes in it. With the storm the night before, she dared not think of what could have happened inside.

With a limp in her stride, she walked to the front door, prying it open as best she could. With several tries, she finally got it to open by ramming her uninjured arm into it, and stumbled inside! A sharp pang rang up her leg as she bit her tongue to keep from screaming in agony! Her eyes stung from the pain and she cursed herself for being so easily brought to tears.

The inside, as she feared, looked far worse than it had outside. The roof was sprinkled with holes; ones that obviously been there before she moved in and looked to be larger now. Because of this factor, the floor with nothing but cold hard cement was completely wet. Nothing but a large puddle that she luckily missed. One of the windows on either side of the house was broken, glass pieces littering the floor. The only thing that could count as accountable was the box in the room with a single old candle on it and a radio in the corner.

Remembering the night she arrived into town, Lavender quickly dug into her pocket, praying she still had her little present. To her greatest pleasure, she found the track K.K. Slider had given her was still in her pocket, unscratched. A genuine miracle from what she went through!

Walking to where the radio was, she sat down next to it, half slipping on the puddle. With little hope that the thing still worked, she place the track inside.

Soft tunes filled the air; lulling her very breath into a soothing rhythm. Lavender almost felt like crying hearing the gentle notes playing from the old radio. Bringing the cold object to her chest, she hugged it like it was a favorite plush toy.

And like the night she arrived into town, hearing the song cast a spell over her mind. The house didn't seem as bad as it looked at first glance. To her, it felt to be her home, and she couldn't be anymore grateful.

"Home sweet home…" she whispered, her eyelids growing heavy. Outside, night fell over the village after such a terrible storm, and Lavender fell asleep on the floor, not strong enough to reach her bed.

* * *

Yeah, just a small chapter of Lavender moving in! Girl has terrible luck she does! But don't worry! Things will be looking up for her soon! I promise!


	5. Chapter 5

Yes, here is the next chapter! Its going to be a slow one, but slowly the story is going to get better! I'm setting up for the rest of the chapters! Enjoy!

* * *

The morning rays did not quite reach past the overcast cloud coverage, but what little that shined through the milky white sheet over the town awoken to a tender start; like the gentle nudge to the shoulder from a loving friend. The birds of late Winter started to awaken, fluttering their feathers to shake off the sleep while bugs stayed still in a lazy slump.

There was one inhabitant of the town who woke with the sun! She burst from her home, with a bright smile, breathing in the fresh air and letting it out with a soft sound of her animal kind.

"Good morning Winnie!" a call from her left came. The brown horse with a star shaped birthmark on her forehead turned to smile at her neighbor, a small green duck with a helmet on his head at all times.

"Good morning Scoot!"

"Nasty weather we got eh?" he said in a nasally tone.

The young girl nodded, glancing up at the sky. She quickly fixed her cow spotted dress and ran around her picket fence to greet him. The first thing she must tell the duck was the rumor she heard! "Scoot! Scoot! Did you hear about-"

"The new girl?" the duck answered evenly. He was never one to get too excited over anything, which made Winnie a little disappointed.

"Yeah. Do you think what they say about her is true? About how she sabotaged K.K. Slider?"

"What? No way! Did you SEE the girl yesterday?"

"Well, no. I was busy fixing my window. It broke during the storm." Winnie admitted, rubbing her hoofs together.

"Well, I saw that girlie walking to her house and let me tell you, she don't look like some schemer to me." the duck said. He turned to pour water over his favorite daisy flowers, not at all fazed by Winnie's disbelieving expression she was giving him.

"Then everyone-"

"-Was just riled up because they all heard about K.K. Slider's guitar being broken because of her." Scoot said tending to his flowers and speaking to her still like he would about the weather.

Winnie pouted some, pondering over his statement. "Well…I suppose there's only one way to find out!"

Scoot caught on of what she meant right away and held up a wing. "No way! She's probably a wreck! Ain't no way a visitor will help-"

"But I'll only take a peek!" the horse yelled, already starting to gallop away on two feet! Her natural speed helped her get away from the duck's shouts for her to return. His incisive shouted only drove her forward all the more faster! She ran up the hillside, reaching the top in less than a few seconds and sped towards the one house she guessed the newcomer would take in after a storm two nights before. It was the only house farther from any source of water, and if she knew people correctly, they wouldn't want to be near any after such a terrible storm.

After ducking behind a tree, Winnie pretended to be a spy, back pressed to the bark and humming to herself a song she once heard in a movie. Peeking around the tree, she saw the house, hidden from view by several trees overlooking the bottom half of the village. With a sneaky grin, the horse tip toed over to the house, doing ballet light steps around the trees, as though avoiding flying daggers in the air, or rolling out of the way of falling boulders, or maybe jumping over a rock like she would to a cliff. Once she cleared the small coverage of trees, Winnie noted that the house didn't look anything more than a shack with holes on the roof and a broken window.

"WINNIE!"

The horse gave a loud cry, whirling around to see Scoot, huffing and puffing out air. It was obvious the helmet on his head was not a show for sportsmanship. "You-I told you to stay!" he yelled, a vein popping over his brow.

"Shhh! Quiet Scoot!" Winnie hushed, swinging her hoof at his face. One glance at the home assured her that they had not woken the girl and blown their cover. "Look, I just want to see what she looks like ok?" she hissed. She ignored his pointed glare and moved to the broken window to peek inside. What she saw made all color drain from her face and let out a scream!

Scoot almost jumped out of his feathers at her screech and rushed over just before Winnie ran for the front door, nearly pushing him aside! "W-What is it?!"

"She's dead!! She's dead!" Winnie shouted, yanking at the handle as best she could while Scoot looked inside. He too gasped, seeing the still form of the girl lying face down on the wet floor with a radio overturned next to her. "Oh my Gosh!! W-Wait Winnie!"

Winnie, with adrenaline pumping through her veins, kicked the door open with her hoof, knocking it off its hinges! "I'm coming for ya girlie!" she cried out. Like a firefighter facing a burning house, she rushed in, picked up the girl in her arms and ran out! Scoot ran around the home to meet her at the front and saw how Winnie gently placed the girl down on the ground. Her face was bright red and her breathing was shallow. But it was the breathing that soothed the two animals. Scoot glared at Winnie, tempted to bonk her on the head. "You scared the living daylights out of me with that!"

Winnie was near bawling her eyes out at being so relieved. "I just got scared ok? Oh, I hope she's ok!"

"I don't know…looks like she has a fever!"

"Oh the poor thing…" Winnie said sadly.

"Come on! We gatta get her into a warm bed, FAST!" the duck exclaimed.

* * *

Later on that same day, Winnie sat in her home, sitting next to her bed that had an occupant in it already. Her worried dark brown eyes stared at the girl in her western styled bed, a damp towel placed over her forehead. After the thirteenth sigh that afternoon, the horse stood up from her chair to fixing the soup. She had been hoping the girl would wake up soon so she could feed her some, but so far she didn't give any signs of stirring.

She glanced down to the floor to find the only possession the girl seemed to have; the old radio. Seeing as it was no better to leave the girl be in silence in her dreams, Winnie walked over to the old thing and turned it on. Once the soft tuned began to play, Winnie looked over to the girl once more. She hardly stirred, but a small moan did come from her lips.

"It's a start." she said, happy to see her move slightly under the covers.

Then Winnie heard voices outside. Alerted and concerned, Winnie walked to her door and opened it to find Scoot outside talking with some of the villagers.

"Who says?!" Scoot yelled, eyes flaring up. The villager he spoke with merely shrugged and avoided his eye. Another spoke up in a haughty tone. "She probably deserves to get sick! After all, she nearly got herself drowned and brought Totakeke with her!"

Immediately Winnie felt her eyes narrow. She glanced back inside her home and then walked out, closing the door behind her. "Excuse me!" she cried out, marching to her picket fence to meet them. "But would you kindly tell me what you're talking about?"

A younger villager, Hazel the chestnut colored squirrel, gave an apologetic smile. "Oh, sorry to disturb you Winnie! We were just passing by and heard you…" she looked past her curiously, only to have Winnie block her vision with an angry snort!

"That happens to be none of your business!"

"Whoa! Hey there! No need to get defensive!" said the lion companion with glasses and green hair. Leopold was his name, and he offered an uneasy wave of the hand with a calm grin. Winnie wasn't moved by his easy position and continued to glare at him, even as he smiled back. "We understand you found her unconscious in her home!"

"Then what was I hearing about DESERVING to be sick?" Winnie exclaimed. "She happens to be very ill, and that is no laughing matter! And not only that, but NO one deserves to get sick, no matter what-"

Scoot stood up to the girl, wings up. "Ok, ok! Calm down!"

"But they-"

"Well, if you happened to be hearing half the things I've heard, you'd say so too!" a pink hippo by the name of Bitty, said with her nose in the air. She ignored how Hazel tried to shush her, but it did not matter for her words only riled up Winnie all the more.

"Oh what would you know!" Winnie snarled! Bitty, looking to be slapped, stared at her angrily!

Before things could get ugly, a new voice intervened. "Excuse me?" it said, making all heads turn. Little Celeste stood there with Brewster behind her. In her arms was a batch of flowers, freshly picked. "Is this where Lavender is staying?"

Winnie blinked seeing the young owl out of her Museum for the first time. The same goes for Brewster, who hardly ever moved from his post behind the café counter. "Oh, um, she's inside." she answered when she noticed Celeste staring at her curiously and almost anxiously. Perhaps a thought of the girl not surviving crossed her mind, for she sighed in relief.

"Oh thank goodness! We were just at her home and no one was there! We overheard you talking so we assumed…" the little girl trailed off, looking at the group. "What were you all talking about?"

Bitty was more than happy to speak up her mind. "That new girl in there! That's what! She tried to kill Totakeke!" she said dramatically.

"Ok, NOW you're mixing up the story TOO much!" Scoot said angrily.

"What?! That's not what happened!" Celesta cried out. But her voice never reached them as the group broke out into argument. "Listen to me! That's not what happened!" the girl tried again and failed to get their attention again. Brewster however stepped forward to the group, and merely stared them down. His overpowering presence managed to silence the group long enough for him to say, "Listen to Celesta. She'll tell the truth."

Not at all willing to stand against his word, the group looked over to the young Owl. She looked near tears in frustration and quickly said, "Ok, it happened around the evening when I heard the news report on the radio."

* * *

Meanwhile, out at the dropout port of the village, a taxi came driving in, dropping someone off. The creature gave a wave to the driver and walked out with a nothing in hand but a small suitcase and an arm bandaged up. He grinned somewhat at the peaceful looking village, his face covered in small bandages; one on his snout and a couple more on his cheeks and forehead.

"Huh, doesn't look too bad." he commented as he made his way down the steps. "I thought the village would look a lot worst after a storm like that." he added with a sort of laugh. Along the way, he spotted a familiar raccoon coming his way, carrying some delivery boxes. "Ah! Nook! Just the man I wanted to see!"

The raccoon whirled around at the voice, nearly dropping his delivery at the sight of the white canine coming his way. "T-Totakeke?! What are you doing here?! You're supposed to be in the hospital!"

The musician smiled at him in a care free manner. "I managed to per sway a few nurses to let me loose. Anyway, I came back in need of a favor."

Nook blinked. "Hmm? What would that be?"

Dark blue eyes twinkling, Totakeke said, "Do you still have a home vacant?"

* * *

"And that's what happened!" Celesta said, finishing her story. She sent a glare to Bitty, her usual sweet and gently features distorted into an angry one that showed she was disappointed in anyone who could think such a thing, and shocked to think they would believe it! "She would never try to hurt him! How could anyone do that? How could you say that?! She only wanted to save him from the storm! He wanted to leave, and that would have killed him!" she said, repeating her strong points.

"Oh yeah…I forgot about his creed of staying for one night…" Scoot admitted, rubbing his helmet. "Man, what a day for a storm then."

"You're horrible for even thinking someone could purposely try to drown him!" Celesta added almost ready to cry! Brewster calmly grabbed her shoulder and she sniffled, rubbing at her eyes furiously. She then turned to Winnie, the only one she seemed to trust at the moment. "Please give these to her." she said stiffly, holding out the flowers. The horse nodded and took the flowers with a small smile.

"Thank you for clearing that up for us." Winnie said, happy that the whole fiasco was over.

"I didn't know…Oh how could I think such a thing?" Bitty said out loud. She walked to Celesta, eyes watering up. "Can you forgive me for saying such cruel things?!"

The owl was known for having a gentle heart, but at the moment, where her emotions are riled up, she barely issued a small nod before curtly turning on her heel to walk away with Brewster. Bitty was left stunned and left on her own to walk away, her gloomy cloud hanging overhead.

Soon a two more neighbors came by, both being dog but different fur color. One was golden brown while the other had Dalmatian spots. They noticed Bitty's sad disposition and quickly ran for the home she came from.

"Winnie?" the Dalmatian asked, coming to the house. "What's going on huh? Huh?"

"Oh! Portia! Goldie!" Winnie exclaimed surprised to see the "dog sisters" at her door. The nickname was given to the girls once they hung out together and became best friends. They claim being both dogs was pure coincidence and merely enjoyed each other's presence a lot. Winnie sighed, rubbing her head from the headache she was getting. She always gets one whenever she gets riled up too much. "It's been a long morning."

"But interesting!" Leopold said, adjusting his glasses. He was met with a dry glare from Hazel. "What? I'm just saying! It's about time something interesting happened to this town!" With that, he laughed heartily, only to get smacked by Scoot upside the head. "No sympathy for the jokester!"

"Can someone please tell us what just happened?" Portia asked, beginning to lose patience while her friend nodded in agreement.

"Of course! You want the long version? Or the short version?" Leopold said grinning.

"Short if you don't mind."

Leopold whipped around to find that it wasn't the dog sisters speaking, but a third male canine coming their way! "T-Totakeke?!"

The canine chuckled. "I'm getting that reaction a lot today." he grinned.

"B-But you were suppose to be in the hospital!"

"So I have been told." the white lab responded and turned to Winnie, meeting her mildly surprised gaze. At this point, nothing could give her a bigger heart attack than the last few events. "I think I heard you have a visitor?"

* * *

The girl tossed and turned in the bed, her mind riddled with the terrible storm! Over and over again she felt she was back under those waters, her breathe coming short and her head slowly melting into blackness! But she refused to let it go black! She fought with the waves, and tried to go the surface! Every time she did though, she would be dragged back down!

Then there would be a dog there, reaching out to her. Lavender screamed at him to go away, to not come near her, but he refused. He jumped in after her, and then his head never resurfaced.

Tear streaks were already staining her cheeks, but more kept coming as she relived those moments, each scenario worst than the last.

With her soul so lost in a nightmare, she never heard the door open and close to the stranger's house she was in. He walked to her side, staring at how she panted heavily, as though trying to breathe.

"Aw Lavender…" he sighed. "How'd you get off to this? You weren't supposed to get hurt."

The girl didn't respond and only whimpered in her sleep, face distorted in a scared and helpless expression. "Stay…away…" she said softly, her tone begging.

Totakeke's face grew sad and he rubbed his head. "Lavender…I don't know if you can hear me, but…I want to let you know I'm sorry."

The girl continued to whimper, but her movements in the bed started to let down. Perhaps she was getting tired in her own internal struggle, and was slowly giving up. Totakeke kept talking to her, hoping maybe he could help calm her down.

"I know you were trying to help…and I wouldn't listen to anyone when I was leaving. You tried to stop me though. And that nearly got you killed." he said. He stared at his arm and chuckled. "I guess this is punishment for being stubborn." Eyes pained greatly at the very thought of his precious instrument broken, beyond repair.

A whimper came from the girl, the tears fresh from her eyes now. The musician's heart withered at the sight of her suffering. "I don't know if you can ever forgive me. But from now on…" he then leaned over and brushed his lips over her forehead. "I'll make sure you won't ever get hurt because of my mistakes ever again."

Lavender let out a single long sigh, like a breath to she held on until that moment. She moaned slightly, her eyes staying shut yet her mind more conscious than usual. "To…ta…ke…" she whispered, falling back into a deep sleep. At last, she looked to be at peace.

The dog smiled. Glancing over to the table next to him he saw the old radio. Reaching over to press play, he was genuinely surprised to hear the same song he gave her. He looked at the girl, seeing she had given a soft sigh at the tune playing. "Girl, you sure are something else." he chuckled.

The girl hummed slightly in her sleep, turning on her side so she faced the radios' music, another sigh coming out of her mouth. A peaceful let out from the nightmare she lived through. K.K. Slider smiled gently at her before opening his mouth to sing along with the soft tunes; the words coming out like they were a part of his soul and memorized to his heart.

Lavender's soft rosy lips turned into a smile. Her storm was finally over and she could at last snuggle into the comforters in peace with her savior standing over her. Though she was not at all conscious of his presence, there was a sense of knowing for sure he was there.

Outside, Winnie stood next to the doorway with Scoot, hearing the song being sung out from inside. Winnie respected Totakeke's wishes of seeing the girl privately, and only stared by the doorway with Scoot to make sure no one else entered. The two of them glanced to one another surprised at the sudden song before gently smiling to one another. They rested down on the porch and enjoyed the private concert they were intruding in.

* * *

Yay! Looks like the village has a new neighbor~ One they would have never expected! Now can anyone guess what's going to happen next? Share! For I might take it to make it into a future chapter!


	6. Chapter 6

I'm sorry for the late update! Been very busy lately! Please forgive and read what has happened to poor Violet!

* * *

In a hazy dream, a girl sat by the cliff side, staring off into the distance over peaceful village. She enjoyed how the sun's rays shined on her body, warming her on such a lovely summer day.

Then a hand came on her shoulder, but she was not at all surprised. She merely turned around to smile at her companion, her cheeks turning a little red at who it was. The white lab grinned dashingly down at her as he took a seat next to her, guitar in hand. However, his face grew sad, making her face him questionably. He looked to her, face still very sad and held up his hand.

But there was none.

Lavender screamed as his arm started to disappear, along with the rest of his body, like fading sand in the wind! She reached out to him, only to have him melt away at her touch. Tears spilled from her eyes and she cried over the forgotten instrument left behind.

"RISE and SHINE!"

Lavender gave a start, sitting up in her bed while looking around shocked. Nothing could register in her mind, so she settled with sitting there in a daze while a stranger came up to her bedside with a tray of breakfast goodies.

"Oh you're awake! That's good! I felt today was going to be the day you'd wake up!" the creature said happily. Her bright eyes shined under the star shaped birthmark on her forehead.

Lavender only stared, eyes half open and head swaying slightly while she tried to wake up. A yawn came from her, and she looked around. "Where am I?" she asked tiredly.

"Oh you poor thing! You must be so confused huh?" the horse said, looking almost apologetic on her behalf. She reached over, placing a hoof on her forehead. A smile came to her snout as she placed the tray of food in front of the girl. "But good news is your fever is finally down!"

A pause on Lavender's behalf before saying drowsily, "I had a fever?"

"Goodness yes! And a nasty one at that! But no worries! Because Aunty Winnie is here to watch over you!" the girl said, slapping a hoof on her chest.

Lavender blinked, finally able to grasp the awakening feeling long enough to smile at the young woman shyly. "Um, thank you. That's very kind of you. Um, I'm sorry I was so much trouble."

"Trouble?! Oh honey! Never!" the girl exclaimed, startling Violet. "I was more than happy to help you! After all, I couldn't just leave you passed out in that old shack of yours! I gave Nook a piece of my mind, that I did! Imagine him, expecting a delicate thing like you to sleep in that at all!"

Lavender's violet eyes went wide and she nearly tipped over her tray of food. "I was passed out?!"

"Out cold like a dehydrated fish out of water." Winnie said, shaking her head. "Nearly had a heart attack when I saw you…"

Lavender hung her head with a sigh. "I guess that storm took more out of me than I thought." She mumbled and then turned to the young woman again. "I-I'm really sorry for being such a hindrance!"

The horse looked at the girl with a cross of a sad frown and an amused smile. "Honey, I told you. I don't mind taking care of you! Its like the good ol days when I watched over my baby nieces and nephews! And before then it was my baby brothers! Oh they got sick nearly once a week! Always running around in the mud…" she said, continuing on with her own story and laughing at certain parts only she remembered and never bothered to tell. Lavender didn't seem to be listening anyway, and looked around the room, only for her eyes to land on the radio. She smiled in relief at the sight of her precious item.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I never introduced myself!" Winnie said, extending her hoof. "The name's Winnie! I'm a natural born winner and will not take kindly to loosing!" she said with a wink.

Lavender took her hoof politely to shake, even when she heard the horse say her name before hand. "Hello. My name's-"

"Oh I already know your name honey! K.K. Slider told me so himself!" she said with a grin and stood up to go to her kitchen. She missed how Lavender stared dumbly after her, hand stuck in the air from the handshake. It took her a moment to wake up and sputter out, "H-He was here?!"

"Oh yes! I never knew he was so sweet on you!" she said with a smirk. Lavender's face turned from pale peace to flustered red, bowing her head as she tried to hide her face. In a moment of remembering where she was, she ran her fingers through her hair, glancing around towards a mirror. It proved more of a hassle as the only mirror in the room was just out of her view at the far side of the room. After giving up of leaning as far over as she could in the bed, Lavender shimmied out of the thick blankets, and walked over to the window. The girl nearly screamed at the sight of her purple hair in tangles, sticking out on her head like a shrubbery bush after an animal ran through it!

"He saw me like THIS?!" she cried out in a panic.

"Oh honey, don't fret! It don't matter how you looked! You were sick after all!" Winnie said, seeing the girl's anguish and walked over to stand beside her in the mirror. To Lavender, the horse looked much prettier than her in comparison as she stood next her, smiling brightly. "You were as cute as a button when you were asleep! At least you didn't snore!" Winnie joked, shaking her lightly. "Besides, K.K. Slider doesn't care about a girl and her looks! He's not that kind of a man!"

Biting her lip, Lavender considered the young woman's words until she held a piece of her hair out, staring at it with a pout as it looked like a twisted out twig from a tree. "But still…"

"Oh honey, if you care that much, I'll help you freshen up and you can show him how you look in person!" Winnie said, patting her shoulders and walking away, back into the kitchen. Lavender turned around to the horse curiously. "What do you mean?" she asked. A gasp came from her systems and she looked in alarm at the clock on the wall. "W-What day is it?! How long was I out?!"

Winnie laughed, her wooden spoon clicking by the pan's side as she shook with her giggles. "You've only been out for a couple of days Honey! Relax. My, you get so flustered so easily. I like that!" she said nodding to herself. "Shows you have spirit! That's what girls need!"

"Oh…" Lavender mumbled, blushing to herself when she realized she got overly excited. "Um, then what do you mean by…meet him in person?"

At this, Winnie stopped her stirring to grin over her shoulder at her. "Oh, give me a minute to eat Honey. Then we'll fix you up with the best clothes and prettiest hair!"

Lavender felt a sort of dread build up in her stomach as she felt something was about to happen..."O-Oh?"


	7. Chapter 7

Hurrah more story!

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Lavender stumbled out of the door, her black shoes clicking on the stone pathway as she tried to gain her balance again. She looked back frantically to Winnie, tugging at the ends of her dress. Winnie only gave a thumbs up and disappeared back in the house. Lavender gave a small whine, twisting her dress now and turning around to face the village. Trees of all sorts met her vision, with a dirt path leading towards the ocean. That was where he was staying at now…

"Hey." Lavender gave a screech and whirled around. A green duck stood there, a hand over his heart.

"Geez! Don't do that to a guy!" he yelled.

Lavender blushed and covered her mouth to smother another gasp. "Oh! I-I'm so sorry!" she stuttered out, bowing to the duck to empathize her apology.

"Hey, it's alright. Need to clam down though." He said walking around to meet her at the picket fence. "Where you heading? Your home is up the hill."

"U-Um…well…I…er…" she babbled out, turning redder then.

"Ah I see." The duck said with a small grin. He held out a wing to her. "Scoot."

"Huh?" She looked at him and then at the ground before taking a hesitant step to the side.

"No, no! I mean my NAME's Scoot!" the duck said, laughing. The girl turned into an embarrassed pink and fumbled to shake his wing. "Geez, your really jumpy, aren't ya?"

"O-Oh? Am I?" she asked.

Scoot grinned. "Yeah, but it's ok. After living through a storm like that I wouldn't blame ya."

"Scoot!" Winnie yelled from the house, startling the two. She had her head poked out of the window, glaring at the green duck. "What are you doing?!"

"Talking! What does it look like I'm doin'?!" he yelled back. Once Winnie demanded he come over so that they could argue more, Lavender took the chance to sneak away unnoticed by the squabbling neighbors. She was more than happy to leave them to their doings and finally get some fresh air.

The girl looked to the heavens and felt very much relived to see not a cloud in the sky. No chance of rain or storms today thankfully. Now, remembering Winnie's directions, Lavender carefully walked down the dirt pathway towards the sea. She kept her distance from the splashing waves and looked everywhere for the small house she was suppose to find.

It wasn't the house she found first however; but it was the voice of its occupant floating in the air she heard. She knew this heavenly voice from anywhere and followed it with hesitant steps over wet grass. Lavender felt her heartbeat speed up as she neared a quaint house near the shoreline, and a certain dog sitting on a log in front of it. No guitar played along with his voice, but he sang out all the same.

With her soft colored eyes, she could see the cast wrapped around his arm still. She bit her lip, her fingers nearly ripping her dress at this point. It amazed her though how the animal didn't have his beloved guitar, and could still sing beautifully without it. The splash of the waves proved to be his only instrument as he patted on the log to go with the beat.

Lavender suddenly felt as though she was trespassing in something private. Doubt began to eat away her sudden courage earlier and made her step back away. What if he was mad at her? What if he will ask her to leave once he saw her? No that she could blame him, but the thought of him pushing her away hurt her heart very much.

A hundred more "what if's" filled her mind as she continued stepping back, failing to see the stick under her foot. When the snap of it sounded off, it startled herself more than the canine singing! She let out a scream, tripping over her fumbling feet and fell over the sand. Totakeke turned around to see the girl whining on the floor, face buried in the dirt.

"Um…hello?" Totakeke said standing from the log and walking over. He helped the girl up to her feet, recognizing her once she was spitting out grains of sand. "Oh! Its you!" he grinned in delight.

Lavender turned bright red, shyness overtaking her systems and shutting out any voice she may have had. When she tried to mumble a greeting, nothing came. So she settled with a tiny smile and bowing her head to him. This made the musician laugh heartily and he placed a paw on her shoulder, earning an embarrassed squeak! "Hey, chicky! No need for formalities! Not around the Slider!" he said, winking at her flustered face, making it even redder. "Come on over here! I want to show you my new house!"

Lavender stumbled after him, blushing madly as she found herself rushing to his side when he only took two steps from her. Although this made him grin, she couldn't help but feel embarrassed in herself. He glanced once over her clothes and his grin grew. "Nice duds there," he said.

Lavender turned completely tomato red at this point, looking down at the clothes Winnie let her borrow. She could still remember the horse excitedly giving her the clothes to put on and then jumping for joy to see they looked good on her. The beaded shirt that was completely black with sparkling beads imbedded into it with knee high dark socks and blue shoes made her feel slightly (dare she think it?) somewhat pretty. Not only that, but her purple hair that was usually in pigtails, was let down her shoulders, held only by a single blue ribbon in her hair. And for Totakeke to notice sent butterflies flittering in her tummy.

"Ok, gatta warn you. I didn't have much to begin with, so its gonna look a little empty to you." He said with a weak shrug. Lavender nodded understandably, and entered the opened doorway.

Lavender wasn't any less impressed than shocked. There was a hammock bed in the far corner with an exotic lamp beside it on a green table. The rest of the furniture consisted of a box on one side of the room, papers overflowing it, and a lawn chair. What caught her eye was a globe sitting at the far end of the room, sitting away from the entrance like it was a precious item to a pirate. The carpet was refurbished with green carpet, leaving the walls with the old brick wallpaper that seemed older than the house itself. The fact the room was so big made the objects in it so small, but to Lavender, it seemed so quant and lovely. She expected the canine to not have many possessions. After all, he is traveling musician.

"Yeah, like I said. Not much in here." Totakeke said rubbing his head as though he was ashamed with what he had, but a grin tugged at his lips, showing he could really care less at the same time.

"Oh no! Its wonderful! I love what you've done to the place." She said, taking one more look to smile at the items placed around the room. She noted all the unique things, smiling at the globe. "You travel a lot?" she asked.

"Used to." The musician said walking to her side to give the sphere a spin. He visibly winced, grabbing his arm. He stopped at the girl with a smile before she could think to help him, her guilty eyes staring up at him. "Don't look at me like that. Makes me feel like I'm crippled."

"In a way, you are." She said, the words slipping from her mouth before she could stop them. She gasped and covered her mouth, opening it again to say something else when the dog chuckled.

"I guess you're right! I am like a three legged dog." He said. He paused and chuckled to himself. "Actually, I'd say I am the definition of a three legged dog." He held his injured arm, attempting a joke with her. She smiled tightly. Seeing she wasn't any feeling any better with his injury he looked at the globe again. "I went traveling the first chance I got when I was younger."

Lavender stared at the dog as he stared at the globe with a forlorn expression. "Why?" she hesitantly ventured. She felt it was none of her concern, but she remembered her mother once told her that sad souls usually keep quiet because no one asks why they are upset.

Totakeke shook his head, floppy white ears gently slapping the sides of his face. "No reason. Just felt a need to." He said. Lavender let the conversation end at that, watching him walk over to the hammock to sit in it. He gave a lazy grin as he swung around. "I'm not much of a host, sorry."

"Its alright." She said, glancing at the spinning globe. "Where did you get this? I hear it's very rare to find a globe."

He smiled, closing his eyes to enjoy the swinging bed. "A gift from an old friend actually. Not a very interesting story though."

"Please tell me." Lavender asked, once again startled by her curious behavior and turned a deep magenta. "I-I mean, if you want to!" she stuttered out. Totakeke grinned at the fidgeting girl and chuckled. He patted the space next to him, motioning for her to come. Hesitantly, the girl came over and sat near his stomach.

"I was in town for a week for a gig one time." He started. "I was out on my own for the first time." He mumbled, recalling the incident like it was just yesterday. "I hardly had any money on me, and I had to keep under a covering to keep out of the rain."

Lavender felt a pang through her heart at the thought of the poor boy hiding under a streetlight alone at night. She walked over to his side as he continued. "I happened to wake up in time to see two little raccoons running around in the rain, one of them tripping and falling into the gutter. He was a small fella and was swept away easily. I was barely on them when the kid fell into the storm drain. Without a second thought, I jumped in, thinking nothing else but the kid's poor face as he slipped inside like he was just a soda can or a piece of trash. I jumped in, grabbing him just in time before he could be swept into the sewer lines. I can't even imagine what would have happened to him if I didn't grab for him…"

Lavender had to remind herself to breathe hearing these words. The image played out in her head like a movie and it nearly made her cry. The thought that the child could have drowned if he wasn't there…the thought shook her. And by seeing how quiet the dog looked, laying there with his eyes closed and his mouth held in a gentle frown, she guessed he couldn't bring himself to think of the consequences either.

Taking a sudden breath, K.K. Slider continued. "Eventually their uncle came round and thanked me for the rescue. I tried to tell him no problem and be on my way, but he insisted on thanking me again. He took me to his small place, gave me a meal, and told me of his plan to start a shop somewhere."

Lavender blinked, finally seeing a connection.

"I told him of this quiet little place I found on my little walk and he was interested. So after some persuading, he started a small shop here."

Lavender stared at the boy, watching him peek on eyes at her amusedly. "So now you know of his shop set up down the road. He said once he gets enough, he'll upgrade his shop so his nephews could work there too. Kinda waiting for that to happen too. I want to see those tikes again."

Lavender stared at the dog speechless before she shook her head, blushing. "T-That was a wonderful story…" was all she managed to say.

"I never told anyone that story." Totekeke said scratching his nose. He then looked to the ceiling deep in thought. "First time I'm telling it." With a chuckle he turned to the girl. "Now you!"

"W-What?" Lavender sputtered out.

"Come on, told one, now you!"

Seeing as the girl couldn't defy those odds, she sighed and wrung her hands together as she dug through her memory. The musician waited patiently until she thought of something.

"Once, when I was little, my mother took me with her on a train." She said smiling. "We were going to visit a friend of hers when we met a strange cat. Well, I did anyway. Mother left for a minute to go to the restroom. This cat…I don't know. It was strange. He sat across from me and started to talk to me like we were old friends, even if I just met him."

Lavender paused to gather her thoughts and then smiled. "On the way back I saw him again, that time he gave me a present to remember him by."

During the story, the white lab fell silent as he listened to her words. "What was it?"

"Nothing much. Just a pencil with an inscription on it." She said. "I think I still have it. I've always used it." The canine smiled at her, making her blush for the hundredth time. "Not much of a story, sorry."

"No, I wouldn't say that." Totekeke said grinning. He stood up from his seat to walk over to the globe, running a paw over it he passed it to go to the green table. "I can understand having something precious to you."

Lavender smiled, swinging her legs. Outside she saw the sun beginning to set with the red and orange rays of light covering the trees outside the window. The musician seemed to be two steps ahead of her it seemed and opened the door at the front, gaining her attention.

"Would you like to sit outside?" he asked, dark orbs twinkling from any light that snuck through the door to be on his face. Lavender didn't need to be asked twice and stood up from the hammock, joining him to go outside.

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OMG how long since I've updated? Im so horrible to let these stories liw for so long I hope you all can forgive me! Well, looks like Lavender and KK are getting along just fine. Wonder how much longer they will.


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